Picture Book Marathon–Day 14

Last month, I blogged that I was going to to do two big challenges: the picture book marathon and the WordPress PostAWeek. I’ve pretty much been keeping up with the WordPress PostAWeek challenge. I think I’ve put up some good posts so far, but I’m still a little disappointed with the results. I was hoping to get a little more inspired, get a lot more into the flow of regular blogging, and get more comfortable sharing more about what I’m learning and doing. Perhaps that will come in time. After all, I’ve been fairly well consumed by the Picture Book Marathon all this month, too!

The PB Marathon is a challenge “during which children’s writers compose one picture book each day until they have written 26 picture books.” Today is day 14, and I’m pleased to say I’m half way there! So far, I’ve written 13 brand-new picture books including everything from nonfiction science and biographies to purely fictional goofiness to traditional folktale retellings. It’s been a lot of work, but I have definitely learned that I can commit to a daily writing practice. (Well, Monday through Friday, anyway. Weekends have been nearly impossible!) I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the results. I was expecting perhaps two out of 26 to be worth pursuing, but so far, I think maybe there are only about two that should probably just be deleted right now. Some are better than others, of course, but I think most of them do have the potential to be developed into something interesting. And since I like doing revision much better than writing first drafts, I’ll be set for quite some time (although I am definitely going to continue with some type of new writing work every day—just not a whole book)!

So, February is half over. And 2011 is looking to be a very productive year. Over the hump and on down the other side!